Keris, the passion of a Belgian man
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Marc Peeters, 54, may not have discovered his passion for the keris, or kris, if he had not married a woman from Klaten, Central Java.
He learned about the traditional dagger through his in-laws, and his fondness for the kris grew stronger through his friendship with Hayar Satoto, a kris collector from Solo -- about 20 kilometers northeast of Klaten.
Becoming a kris collector was just the beginning, however, and today, he can be found giving evening lectures on kris and expounding upon his "newfound" love to audiences comprised mostly of foreigners.
"What I love most about kris is its pamor (ornamental pattern on the blade)," he said before the opening of the Keris Exhibition at Erasmus Huis in Kuningan, Central Jakarta.
The public can take a look at some kris from his private collection -- mostly Javanese-made daggers -- on display from April 12 through May 6.
The exhibition is also educational, and offers visitors information on the history of kris, the different types that were developed over the years, how a kris blade is made, the different types of blades and their mystic value, how to maintain a kris and a slide show of the collection.
A special service for cleaning kris blades will also be provided on April 16 and April 29.
Marteen C.D. Mulder, director of Erasmus Huis, said Peeters was very knowledgeable about the kris, so he was often invited to speak at discussions on the kris and its tradition.
Haryono Guritno, chairman of the Brotherhood of Dagger Lovers (Damartaji), praised the exhibition, saying the increasing number of foreigners who had come to love the kris should also raise excitement among Indonesians toward their ancient heritage.
He added that Indonesia had been persuading the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to recognize kris as a world heritage.
Haryono emphasized that kris was a unique art form because it incorporated high technique, high artistic design and mysticism as well.
Among the Javanese, the kris is known to have three distinct elements: the wilah (blade), the wrangka (sheath) and selut (hilt).
The empu, or kris maker, of the past created the dagger from meteors that have fallen to earth and iron.
The combination of the materials "symbolizes the unification of heaven and earth", Haryono said.
A sheathed blade symbolizes peace -- the unification of God and man, but an exposed blade will cause bloodshed, he added.
Peeters, 54, first came to Indonesia in 1977 as an engineer for a three-week assignment. However, he extended his stay and now works on telecommunications infrastructure. Love was also in the cards for Peeters, and he and his wife have two children and a grandchild.
What is so special about a kris that can drive a Belgian man to become a collector?
A kris is a Malay or Indonesian dagger with a ridged, serpentine blade, and is found in many Southeast Asian countries. When it comes to quality, however, the Javanese kris is the favored piece.
For Peeters, a kris is not a mere dagger. It has a solid beauty and spiritual aura, and it is for this quality that he has collected almost 300 kris since the 1980s.
Like a typical Javanese kris collector, Peeters cleans his kris once year in the month of Sura -- the first month of the Javanese calendar.
"Once I did not clean the kris and you know what? I lost my belongings the other day. I don't know if it's coincidence or a mystic thing," he said.
Keris: The Passion of A Collector runs from April 12 through May 6 at Erasmus Huis, Jl H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. S-3, Kuningan, Central Jakarta.